—————- Police news —————-

Published 8:00 pm, Monday, May 21, 2007

One hurt in rollover crash

A 53-year-old Mount Pleasant woman was hurt in a rollover crash Thursday at the intersection of Buttles and McDonald streets.

According to Midland Police reports, Rebecca Lynn Campbell, 18, Midland, was driving a GMC Jimmy when the brakes failed. The vehicle ran a stop sign, and struck a GMC Yukon driven by Glen Dean Blystone, 55, Mount Pleasant. The impact pushed the Yukon into a curb and flipped it over, injuring Katherine O. Blystone. She was taken to MidMichigan Medical Center for treatment of minor injuries and was released.

No one was trapped inside either vehicle.

Campbell told officers her mother usually drives the Jimmy, but had told her before she drove it that the brakes had been slipping.

The reports are being sent to the city attorney for review.

Click It or Ticket begins

The Click It or Ticket safety belt campaign has begun, and local officials in Midland, Bay and Saginaw counties are on the lookout for motorists who aren't wearing their seat belts.

The mobilizations runs from May 21 to June 3, including the Memorial Day Weekend. Officials are paid with federal traffic safety money while participating in the program.

According to the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning, Michigan's seat belt use rate is second highest in the nation at 94.3 percent. Traffic fatalities in the state fell by 4 percent to a total of 1,084, the lowest number since World War II.

Last year, 18 people died in traffic crashes during the Memorial Day holiday, the highest number in a five-year period. Five of those who died were not buckled up.

On Thursday, officials including those in Saginaw County will participate in a pilot project to increase seat belt use during the late evening and early morning hours. Statistics show seat belt use in the state falls dramatically between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.